The only sustainable competitive advantage for a company is human resource. An engaged employee contributes more to the organization's success by being intellectual and emotionally bound with it. Such an employee is more likely to stay and become an advocate of the company, its products or services.

An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success. Employee engagement is nothing but extracting the `gem' part in an employee. We have seen it happening many a time that an organization provides top wages and benefits, yet loses a talented employee to competitor for apparent reasons. Of course, some employee turnover is unavoidable, but if a company is truly engaging its employees, there is no good reason for the unexpected loss of quality staffer.

Most organizations today have realized that a `satisfied' employee is not necessarily the `best' employee in terms of loyalty and productivity. It is only an `engaged employee' who is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organization, feels passionately about its goals and is committed towards its values. He goes the extra mile and associates himself with the actions that drive the business. Engaged employees are more likely to stay, and be the advocates of the company, its products or services. A greater number of loyal employees ensure low recruitment and training costs, in effect enhancing the productivity of the organization. In short, employee engagement is "a positive attitude held by employee towards the organization and its values." It is rightly said that the only sustainable competitive advantage for a company is human resources.

HRM Review Magazine, Employee Engagement, Organizational Goals, Human Resources, Organizational Performance, Performance Management, Development and Career Programmes, Employee Engagement Survey, EES.